


Undeniable

by VictoriaAGrey



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Coming Out, Coming of Age, Confessions, Love, M/M, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2016-11-13
Packaged: 2018-08-30 18:34:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8544580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VictoriaAGrey/pseuds/VictoriaAGrey
Summary: When Grace's friends think her dad is dating the guy who saved them at Winter Formal, she is forced to reconsider the nature of Danno's relationship with Uncle Steve.





	

**Author's Note:**

> this all takes place after 7x08 because wow we need to follow up on that gorgeous family moment <3

_we should go dancing again_

**my dad only taught me so many moves and you saw all of them in that one dance**

_lol maybe we could take a class??? learn together_

“Grace!”

Looking up from her phone, Grace saw Marina walking towards her with Anuhea, their arms linked together. She smiled and waved them over, pocketing her phone while she waited for Will’s reply.

“Did you two study for Baker’s ecology test?”

“Who gives a shit about Baker’s test right now!?” Anuhea laughed, playful smacking Grace’s arm. “We have way more important things to talk about.”

“It’s worth 10% of our grade.”

Marina rolled her eyes. “Sweetheart, you made flashcards to start studying for that thing _last week_. Calm down, you got it in the bag.”

“Yeah, but I’ve heard -”

“Grace, no offense, but all I really want to talk about is your dad’s hot ass boyfriend.”

Grace felt her jaw drop, but before she could correct Marina on her assumption, Mano and his girlfriend, Nani, joined the group.

“Holy shit! That tall guy with the machine gun who saved all our asses was your dad’s boyfriend?”

“He was hot.” When all the girls turned to him with raised eyebrows, he shrugged. “What? Just because I’m straight doesn’t mean I’m blind.”

“Okay, wow, no,” Grace said before they could go any further. “Uncle Steve is not my dad’s boyfriend.”

“Oh, he’s your uncle?” Anuhea asked, disappointment making her frown.

“Well, not technically, no.”

“That totally means they can still bang.”

Nani laughed and pushed Marina, pretending to look aghast but failing miserably. “Marina!”

“Don’t pretend you weren’t thinking it, too.”

Mano leaned against the wall next to Grace. “They’re seriously not dating?”

“No, they both have girlfriends,” she insisted, feeling like the statement would fall on deaf ears. They all looked so sold on her dad and Uncle Steve dating. “Why do you think they’re dating anyway?”

“Because I saw that whole reunion scene between the three of you.” Nani threw her arm over her eyes to act like she was swooning. “Tall Dark and Handsome calling out for you, you hugging him when he found you. Your dad and him walking out with their arms around each other. So romantic!”

“They’re just really close!”

“Then there was that whole ‘I’ll give you a hug, I’ll give you a kiss’ thing.”

“What!?” all three girls shrieked in unison.

“Yeah, her dad said that when he came over,” Mano said as he casually checked his watch for the time, like he didn’t realize the bomb he just dropped. “’I’ll give you a hug, I’ll give you a kiss. Pick a base.’”

Grace’s protests stood no chance of overcoming the screams of her friends. Nani and Marina were spinning each other around and singing “Pick a base!” while Anuhea pretended to swing a bat as she yelled “HOMERUN!” Mano seemed to get a kick out of the whole spectacle and he took a video of it, posting it on Snapchat with the caption ‘can’t spell subtext without...’ Grace didn’t want to laugh, but the way people were staring at them as they passed in the hall was priceless.

“You guys need to get your shit together,” she giggled as she pulled Nani into a hug to stop her ridiculous dancing. “Seriously, they’re not dating. Never have. They’re both straight.”

Nani spun around in her arms and grabbed her shoulders, looking uncharacteristically intense. “Grace, pick a base.”

“Shut up, oh my god,” Grace said as she pushed her away, her eye roll not looking very serious because she was smiling. Before they could continue teasing her, the bell rang.

“I just want you to know I ship your dad and Uncle Steve now,” Marina called over her shoulder as she dragged Mano away for class, who also yelled “I’m with her.”

“Same,” Anuhea and Nani told her before they walked into class across the hall.

A buzz in her pocket alerted her to a new text message and she decided to check it before going into class.

**whatever you want I’m there :)**

~~~

Marina was probably joking when she later sent Grace a link to an article titled ‘11 Undeniable Signs He’s In Love with You,’ but she wasn’t laughing by the time she got to the end of the article. In fact, she felt close to panicking because, while she knew Danno exhibited all the signs to some degree, she couldn’t help but focus on ‘He wants to give to you.’ Specifically, she couldn’t move past the sentence ‘The biggest action that indicates a man loves you is when he gives you all he can.’ The endless hours waiting for her dad while he was cut open to give a vital organ to Uncle Steve flashed before her eyes and before she knew what she was doing, she opened up her messaging app and texted Will, her hands shaking.

_I need to ask you something_

_be honest_

**what’s up? is something wrong?**

_is it possible my dad is in love with Uncle Steve?_

**WHAT**

_[ATTACH ARTICLE]_

**... oh shit**

_I KNOW_

**maybe we’re just reading too much into it. it’s one article. an opinion thing**

_but she’s in love and they fit her experience too well_

**Dad’s told me they’re just really close**

_okay but think about it_

_they’re always together_

_they talk every day, even when we’re gone to something_

_MY DAD GAVE HIM HALF HIS LIVER_

**babe are you okay???**

_HE EVEN CALLS HIM BABE_

_I’ve heard him say I love you to him so many times but I’ve never heard him say it to Melissa_

Grace didn’t know what overcame her, but she threw her phone to the other side of the bed and curled up on her side, tears rolling down her nose. She didn’t care that her dad may be in love with her Uncle Steve. What tore her up inside was that it was there, in plain sight, but it was desperately unspoken. For whatever reason, her dad let Uncle Steve think whatever he wanted to about everything he said and did, never stopping him and telling him ‘no, that’s not right.’ Danno gave and then gave some more, never asking for anything in return.

‘He gives you all he can.’

The tears didn’t stop, only getting worse when she looked back and realized that it was possible Danno had been in love with him for years. She remembered the phone calls he made to Uncle Steve while they were in New Jersey, walking out onto the porch during dessert so he could talk to him. Taking pictures when they went to a cheer tournament and asking her to help send them to him because he didn’t know how to work his new phone yet. The way he looked at him when he bought her an easel just because. It was all there and she couldn’t believe she’d been so blind, her eyes only opening to the truth because of some teasing and a stupid article.

“Grace, darling?” her mom asked as she lightly knocked on the door. “Will has come to see you. Were you expecting him?”

She quickly wiped the tears from her face, but she couldn’t do anything to stop the watery quality of her voice. “Let him in please.”

The door opened and Will walked into her room looking worried and a little out of breath.

“You can stay in here, but the door remains open.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

After her mom left, Will sat next to her on the bed and wiped away the few tears that had leaked out the second her mom was out of sight. He kissed her forehead and pulled her into a hug, Grace moving willingly, needing the warmth and care he provided.

“What are you doing here?”

“You sounded like your were freaking out and then you stopped answer my texts. I got here as soon as I could.”

“Dad drop you off?”

“No, I rode my bike here.”

Grace sat up and rubbed her hands over her face, hoping she didn’t look as bad as she felt. “You live miles away.”

“Gotta be here for my girl,” he said, smiling a bit in the hopes of lightening the mood. “What happened?”

“I just, I don’t know, I freaked out. I don’t know what to do.”

“About your dad being in love with Steve?”

“He’s in love with him, I know it.” The knowledge sank into her bones, the sentiment as true to her as knowing she was alive. It hurt, but not as much as she knew her dad must be hurting. As new tears welled in her eyes, Will took her hands in his and kissed them.

“Grace, it’s okay. Listen to me. We need to be sure you’re right because this is one thing you do not want to be wrong about. Are you sure he’s in love with him? I thought he was straight and had a girlfriend.”

“He does, but – just thinking about it now, I realize how differently he treats Melissa from Uncle Steve. God, I’m so stupid!”

“Hey, that’s my girlfriend you’re talking about!”

Grace laughed and moved to sit against his side so she could lay her head on his shoulder. She loved his sense of humor, it was as brash and lame as her father’s.

“I just want Danno to be happy. He deserves it.”

“I know. He’s a cool guy.” She felt Will shake his head. “But I don’t think there’s anything we can do.”

Twirling a strand of hair around her finger, Grace wondered how true his statement was.

~~~

Sitting in the living room finishing up her math homework, Grace listened to Charlie playing in his room and Danno puttering around in the kitchen preparing to cook dinner. It was getting more and more difficult to focus on her homework as she remembered the way her dad’s face fell when Uncle Steve called to let him know he couldn’t make it to dinner because Lynn needed him to pick her up from the airport. It had been over a week since her meltdown and subsequent belief that she couldn’t help her dad, but something inside her bubbled to the surface as she kept thinking about that face and before she could stop herself, she asked the question that was eating away at her.

“Are you in love with Uncle Steve?”

The sound of crashing pots and pans hitting the floor followed her question, one or two even rolling into the living room. She heard Danno struggling with them for several seconds and she got up from her seat, putting aside her homework and picking up the rogue pots. When he stood to take them from her, his face was beet red.

“Smooth move, Dad.”

“Not my finest hour,” he replied, not looking her in the eye as he took the pots and moved to put them away.

Awkwardly rocking on her feet for a minute or so, she realized he wasn’t going to say anything, leaving her question unanswered and ignoring it to the extent that it was as if she never said anything. Now that she had worked up the courage to ask, she drew on it once more to follow through.

“Dad -”

“Don’t,” he interrupted before she could continue, not even so much as looking at her as he said it. “Grace, don’t.”

“Dad - ”

“Grace, please don’t.”

“I can’t, Danno.”

He dropped all pretense of preparing the Alfredo sauce, laying down his knife on the cutting board and leaning forward on the counter, the slump of his shoulders defeated. That hurt more than the revelation itself and she bit down on her lip to keep from crying.

“Why now?” he asked, turning to her with his pain evident on his face. He was always terrible at hiding his emotions. “Why are you asking me this?”

“Because I need to know you’re happy.”

She watched as he rubbed at his eyes, the way he did when he was trying to stop himself from crying, before he pulled her into a tight hug, rubbing her back soothingly. The movement made her realize she was breathing too shallowly, the way she did when she was upset and trying to hide it.

“I am happy. I promise you I’m happy. Look, you’re here with me right now aren’t you? I’m never happier than when you and Charlie are with me.”

“You’d be happier if Uncle Steve was here, too.”

Danno didn’t say anything for a moment and when he pulled away he put his hands in his pockets. “Don’t say it like that. This, right here, is all I need to be happy.”

“I know. But you would be happier if he was here,” she insisted, even though he was shaking his head as if she were wrong. “It’s like when I’m with my friends. I’m happy, but if Will isn’t there, I wish he was.”

“I’m not going anywhere near the parallel you’re trying to draw right now.”

Grace laughed and was relieved when he did, too. When it died out naturally, she started tracing at the lines of grout in the tile backsplash.

“Are you?”

“There’s a lot of ways you can love someone.”

“Dad, I’m not seven anymore,” she said, her tone clearly irritated.

“No, but you are still my baby girl.”

“I know I’m only fourteen, but I’m not stupid,” Grace replied, looking into her dad’s eyes and hoping he stopped seeing her as just a child for a moment. “I’m not upset. If you’re worried about me accepting you because you’re gay-”

“I’m not gay,” he interjected, hands running through his hair in agitated motions. “I’m not – Christ, this is not a conversation I wanted to have with you. At least not yet.”

She waited him out, knowing that it would be the best thing to do if she wanted answers.

Once he stopped his pacing, he looked at her with a determined face. “I’m not gay. I’m – fuck, this is so much harder than I thought it would be. I’m what’s called bisexual. I can love women and men.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that was a thing.”

“Well, it is and that’s what I am.”

“I’ve never seen you with a boyfriend.”

“Yeah, well...” he trailed off, not finishing the sentence and looking like he had no clue where it was going.

“You are in love with him though, aren’t you? Uncle Steve, you’re in love with him?”

“Yes,” Danno said, his voice small and expression lax. He looked crushingly sad and he turned away from her, as if he hoped to spare her from it. “Yes, I’m in love with him.”

Grace threw her arms around her dad and squeezed him tight, resting her head on the back of his neck. “He’s in love with you, too.”

“Grace, I know you mean well, but please don’t.”

“I mean it. I swear.”

She hadn’t really considered whether Uncle Steve loved him too, she was too caught up in her feelings for her dad, but as she said the words she knew they were true. After all, some of those calls in Jersey had been from him. And those pictures dad always sent, it was because he asked for them. And that easel, she remembered how he watched for her initial reaction, but after that he only had eyes for Danno. Grace smiled, bigger than she had since she figured everything out, and held her dad tighter.

“I swear, Danno. He loves you, too.”

He removed her arms from around him and turned around to face her. “Oh, yeah? How’re you so sure?”

Danno looked like he was just placating her, but what made her answer him was that little spark of hope she saw buried under everything else.

~~~

“Ow!” she cried, her giggle not matching the pain she was trying to convey. “You stepped on my toe.”

“I am so sorry,” Will apologized, trying to put some more distance between them, but she wouldn’t let him. “You’re toes are gonna be black and blue by the end of this lesson.”

“Maybe if my boyfriend wasn’t so clumsy...”

“I’m trying!”

“That’s what makes it worth it.”

Will looked up from their feet to look at her, his smile lighting Grace up from the inside out. She didn’t know if she was in love yet, but she knew that if she wasn’t, she was getting there. The thought energized her and it made her more determined to master the waltz they were learning, her steps more sure than they had been before. As the song started to wind down, she looked over towards the other side of the room where the parents waited to take their kids home.

Lou and Renee were watching them with smiles on their faces, Renee recording them dancing on her phone. Lou looked like he was on the verge of tears, but he always looked like that when he saw them dancing together, as if it was a reminder of how grown up his son was. She smiled at them and they waved.

Standing next to them was Danno and Uncle Steve. There was a large malasada in Uncle Steve’s hand and he bit into it hungrily, powdered sugar going everywhere. Danno rolled his eyes and made a show of being irritated, waving his arms and saying something she couldn’t catch. He lifted his hand and ran his thumb across the corner of his mouth, only brushing some of the sugar off before Uncle Steve leaned forward and kissed him. He laughed when he saw that some of the sugar was now covering Danno’s mouth.

The expression on Danno’s face made her breath catch. He wasn’t acting like he was irritated anymore, he was just looking up at Uncle Steve with a look she’d never seen before, on him or anyone else. He pulled him down and kissed him, soft and so much more gentle than the playful one before. When they parted, Danno seemed to come back to himself and he looked out onto the dance floor, his eyes immediately finding hers. She couldn’t say what passed between them in that moment, but he smiled at her and winked.

As Grace closed her eyes and pulled Will close, she realized that she hadn’t been dancing. His arms wrapped around her and she smiled, feeling a warm tear roll down her cheek. She was happy and the best part was, Danno was, too.

**Author's Note:**

> If y'all are curious about that article, [HERE](http://www.anewmode.com/dating-relationships/signs-he-is-in-love-with-you/2/) it is
> 
> Thank you for your kudos, comments, critiques, angry banshee screams, or whatever you leave for me here or at my Tumblr ***[mycroft-silently-judges-you](http://mycroft-silently-judges-you.tumblr.com)***


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